1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to food products. More particularly, the present invention relates to frosting compositions which can be aerated to form frosting or icings.
2. The Prior Art
Frostings are well known in the food art. Of the several types of frostings, the more popular include creme icings and fluffy frostings. Creme icings typically comprise sugar, shortening usually with emulsifiers, and water in a shortening-water-air emulsion. Optional ingredients for creme icings include flavors, coloring agents, proteinaceous materials and bodying agents. Such icings desirably exhibit a rich and creamy mouthfeel due, in part, to the high levels of shortening employed, typically from about 10% to 20% (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,830, issued Sept. 2, 1969 to I. J. Wahba). The organoleptic properties also importantly depend on the physical properties of the icings, e.g., the density which typically exceeds 1.1 g/cc. Such densities indicate relatively low aerations.
Highly aerated edible toppings are generally referred to as "fluffy frostings." These fluffy frostings typically have densities of less than about 0.4 g./cc. Such highly aerated compositions are generally fat-free, and depend on the whippability of material such as egg whites, gelatins, enzymatically degraded soy whipping proteins or certain polyglycerol esters of higher fatty acids.
Such frostings can also comprise sugar, water and optionally a wide variety of foam stabilizers such as algin, gelatin or a cellulosic derivative, such as carboxymethyl cellulose. Fluffy frostings have a unique, desirable mouthfeel and eating quality provided by the high level of aeration.
A primary disadvantage possessed by conventional frostings is their instability over a period of time. For example, it is well known that fluffy frostings, although highly aerated and of desirable eating quality when fresh, generally lose air and/or liquid and become rubbery or marshmallow-like upon storage or while standing on a cake overnight. This disadvantage is seen in both homemade fluffy frostings and in currently available mix products. This instability characteristic also explains why "ready-to-spread" prepared fluffy frostings have not been made commercially available.
It would be desirable to have an edible topping which combined the desirable attributes of both creme icings which contain shortening such as a creamy, rich mouthfeel and also the attributes of fluffy frostings which are fat-sparing, such as their unique lightness. Thus, there is a continuing need for fat-sparing frosting compositions which provide frostings having the organoleptic properties of creme icings yet exhibiting substantially greater aeration. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide frosting compositions which upon aeration realize low density fat-sparing frostings which nonetheless exhibit the eating qualities of cream icings.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide frosting compositions having enhanced stability against both air loss and syneresis.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide creamy frostings which require neither conventional shortening nor emulsifiers.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and superior frosting provided by frosting compositions comprising a specially prepared comestible base and minor amounts of an acid-stable whipping agent and an acid-stable polysaccharide gum.
The present, particular comestible bases which are the principal ingredient of the present frosting compositions are prepared in accordance with the method of preparation of copending application, Ser. No. 043,993 filed concurrently herewith. Such comestible bases are prepared by cooking in prescribed manner uncooked blends which comprise nutritive carbohydrate sweetening agents, ungelatinized starch, edible non-volatile organic acids and principally citrus juice residual juice vesicles.
Citrus juice residual juice vesicles are a by-product of commercial citrus juice preparation. Juice vesicles can be obtained from the finer materials (i.e., pulp) associated with the juice which is segregated from the juice by screening. A variety of terms have been loosely used in the art to refer to this pulp material or parts thereof in its untreated forms. It has been called at various times in its untreated state, "juice vesicles," "juice sacs," or "finisher pulp." The juice vesicles are the membranes forming the juice sacs of the citrus fruit. During juicing operations, the juice sacs rupture and release their juice. Thus, for purposes of the present invention, "juice vesicles" is used synonymously for the residual citrus juice sac materials remaining after the release of the juice from the juice sac.
The finisher pulp typically is combined with the peel residue and the mixture is used for cattle feed since the pulp is not a good source of pectin compared to the peel itself. In some instances, the pulp is recovered, frozen and even freeze-dried to be used in dry juice powders which form orange juice drinks when reconstituted with water (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,993 issued Apr. 19, 1966 to R. C. Webster et al and U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,310 issued Jan. 20, 1968 to R. C. Webster).
In commercial juice production, the pulp is washed to recover cold water soluble sugars which are present in the pulp material in dilute amounts. Although the cold water soluble sugars are initially present in relatively high concentrations on a dry solids basis, 3.5% to 30% by weight, on a wet basis the sugars concentration is quite low since the total solids content of the finisher pulp is only 3% to 5%. Some pectin-like materials are also washed away along with the soluble sugars to leave a material referred to as "washed juice vesicles."
Both washed and unwashed juice vesicle material which has been drum dried, spray dried or solvent dried has been suggested for use as a food additive. Such suggested utilization is based upon the excellent water-binding and the good oil-binding properties of the material. One reference (see, "Processing and Potential Uses for Dried Juice Sacs," by J. W. Kesterson and R. J. Braddock, Food Technology, February 1973, pp. 52-54) suggests its utilization in a wide variety of food products but has no teaching of actual use in any food product. However, the present invention does not contemplate the employment of dried juice vesicle material as an essential ingredient of the present comestible base component.
Past efforts have also included attempts at utilizing dried "protopectin" derived from citrus residue including juice vesicles. "Protopectin" is a non-specific term generally denoting insoluble pectinaceous material. For example, several art efforts have been made at incorporating small amounts of dried or treated protopectin into breads or cakes (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,548 issued Sept. 13, 1960 to L. T. Work; U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,756 issued June 22, 1965 to W. Aurell; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,020 issued July 20, 1965 to W. Aurell). These patents disclose elaborately treating the protopectin with various lipids or colloid materials to decrease the rate or amount of hydration of the protopectins. Without such treatment, these patents teach that the rapid hydration of these extremely hydrophilic materials causes doughs or batters to set quickly into non-elastic solid masses which are unsuitable for bread or cake production. Alternatively, it has been taught that cakes containing untreated protopectin can be realized by formulating doughs of low gluten flours such as potato flour. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,757 issued Dec. 23, 1958 to W. Aurell). Again, dried "protopectin", although derived from residual juice material, is not contemplated herein as an essential ingredient of the present comestible base component.
Thus, given the above-described problems and difficulties in providing any food products containing even minor amounts of any residual citrus material, it is not surprising that few art attempts have realized actual food products which comprise major amounts of the specific material juice vesicle solids.
Moreover, while raw citrus pulp has been employed in non-analogous foods (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,858,221, issued Oct. 28, 1958 to D. C. Laurie), the art generally teaches the usage of dried residual citrus fruit material as an additive ingredient in food products. Surprisingly, the present invention employs juice vesicles in the present fat-sparing frostings. More surprisingly, the present frosting compositions employ juice vesicles which have not been dried.